INDUSTRIAL ACTION

In reply to Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (30 June 2009).

The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton—Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development): I am advised:

1. On 30 June 2009, I provided the committee with information on Industrial Disputation for the South Australian Public Sector for the financial year from 1 July 2008 to 30 May 2009. At that time I reported the latest available information in number of hours lost per thousand employees, which was 644 hours. This translates into 85.8 days lost per thousand employees.

I am now able to provide information for the full financial year to 30 June 2009 stated in terms of days lost. The number of days lost through Industrial Disputation in the South Australian Public Sector for the period 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009 was 86.06 days (645 hours) per thousand employees.

This compares to a total of approximately 103 days per thousand employees lost to Public Sector Industrial Disputation for the period 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008. By comparison, the national total was 165 days lost per thousand employees for the same period, as reported by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

In reporting the national total, the ABS catalogue data does not distinguish between private and public sector disputation and comparative data with other state public sector performance is not readily available.

ABS Data for the June 2009 quarter is currently unavailable. However, the ABS has reported for the three quarters to March 2009 and the total number of days lost nationally to industrial disputation was 78.9 days per thousand employees.